The security flaw in Apple products discovered late last week , and so far only partially patched, has shocked software experts the world over -- not because it's so serious, but because it's so simple . The flaw could allow attackers access to most up-to-date Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and iMacs and MacBooks, that were being used on open, unsecured Wi-Fi networks, such as those you might sign on to at airports, coffee shops...

A series of notable Apple rumors have hit the Web this week, including reports that say a new Apple TV could be unveiled soon and images that may or may not show the next version of the iPhone. Apple TV Apple is working on a new version of its Apple TV set-top box that could be unveiled as early as April and is expected to be released in time for the holiday shopping season, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Citing unnamed sources, the report said the new Apple TV will use a faster processor than its predecessor and come with an "upgraded" interface.

Amazon on Thursday updated its iPhone app with a feature that lets users find items within the online store by simply holding them in front of their iPhone's camera. The feature is called Flow, and it's designed to be a quicker way to search for products than by typing their name or scanning their bar code, as were already possible through the Amazon app. The Seattle online retailer is marketing the feature as a way for users to quickly find items that they need to restock on a regular basis, such as their groceries.

February 7, 2014 | By Salvador Rodriguez, This post has been updated, as indicated below.

A cyber security researcher has discovered a vulnerability within the Snapchat mobile app that makes it possible for hackers to launch a denial-of-service attack that temporarily freezes a user's iPhone. Jaime Sanchez, who works as a cyber-security consultant for Telefonica, a major telecommunications company in Spain, said he and another researcher found a weakness in Snapchat's system that allows hackers to send thousands of messages to individual users in a matter of seconds.

Brendan Holmes shot this photo of two silhouettes next to the shadow of a tree with his iPhone 5 on Jan. 24. Follow Samantha Schaefer on Twitter . Each week, we're featuring photos of Southern California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or reader submission gallery . Follow us on Twitter or visit latimes.com/socalmoments for more on this photo series.

SAN FRANCISCO - If you want to get a glimpse of Facebook's future, download Paper, the social network's new mobile news reader. The app for the iPhone is part of what Facebook says is its big push to deliver "the best personalized newspaper in the world. " But it's more than just an app for reading news. It's Facebook reimagined for the smaller screen. Paper doesn't just help users discover news on dozens of topics. It can also be used by users to browse their News Feed, get messages and notifications and search Facebook.

A principal of a Maine middle school said a student suffered second-degree burns when her green iPhone 5c burst into flames while in her pocket. Class was just about to start when the incident occurred, and the student was taken to a nearby hospital. The school did not release the girl's name. However, in an interview with the Portland Press Herald, the girl's mother, Judy Milligan said, "I was a little bit in shock" after being told about the fire. According to the Press Herald, the girl, 14, was sitting down before class when she heard a "pop from the Apple iPhone 5c she had been given by her mother two months earlier.

Apple has applied for a patent that describes a method the Cupertino company could use to improve the accuracy of the touchscreen on its iPad and iPhone devices. The patent, which was published Thursday, is called " Gesture and Touch Input Detection Through Force Sensing . " The system described in the patent would incorporate the use of forces sensors that could be located within the frame of the iPad, commonly referred to as the bezel. The bezel's force sensors would be capable of detecting how much pressures users put on the touchscreen of their device with their fingers.

Apple Inc.'s experiment with rolling out two new iPhones at the same time backfired as weak demand for the cheaper version with a plastic case led the company to sell fewer smartphones than expected during the holiday quarter. Although Apple on Monday reported record revenue for its first quarter, which ended in December, the 51 million iPhones it sold fell short of the 55 million units that Wall Street analysts had expected. Those soft sales coupled with a surprisingly weaker outlook for the current quarter sent the company's stock tumbling more than 8% in after-hours trading.

January 27, 2014 | By Chris O'Brien, This post has been updated with the latest developments.

Apple reported iPhone sales Monday that fell well short of analyst estimates as well as guidance for the next quarter that also was lower than expected, sending the stock falling more than 5% in after-hours trading. Apple said it sold 51 million iPhones in the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year, which ended Dec. 28. That was a new record, up from 47.8 million last holiday season. But sales fell short of analysts' expectations that the company would sell 55 million iPhones in the quarter.